


Up on the Roof

by Barbllm



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Post-Promised Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:34:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25696606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbllm/pseuds/Barbllm
Summary: Another drabble set post-Promised Day.  Edward and Alphonse discuss their futures.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Up on the Roof

Hearing his brother swear, Al sighed. It was a simple shingle repair to Winry's roof; it could not be that hard, could it? He's mastered alchemy but not carpentry, Al thought, as he wandered out onto the deck that led to the deeply sloped roof. He raised himself up and saw his brother, Edward, nursing a red and swollen thumb.

And complaining. Because, of course, Edward.

"Brother, what's taking so long?" Al called out. Ed turned towards him.

"These damned chores are testing the limits of my courtesy," Ed replied with hands on hips. "Winry treats me like I'm her personal slave," Ed continued. Al climbed onto the roof and stifled a grin. "And after everything I've…." Ed's voice got louder and, somehow, whinier.

'Winry says she's making tea to go with the apple pie she's baking," Al retorted. That stopped Ed, who only said, "Oh, okay" and sighed.

Al continued walking carefully across the roof, finally coming to stand next to Ed. The sky was a brilliant cerulean blue and sunny; Resembool's pasturelands stretched to the horizon. Sheep grazed placidly in one field while sunflowers grew tall in another. Al smiled. Resembool might not have been a grand metropolis, but it was beautiful in its own way.

"Wow," Al said, taking in the sight of his hometown. "You can see the entire countryside today, huh?"

"Yeah," Ed agreed.

"How about I push you off this roof and break the arm you just got back?" Al said. Ed turned towards him, eyebrows raised, but saw only the slightest hint of a grin on his brother's face..

"So, I've been doing some thinking lately," Al continued.

"Yeah, me too." Ed chimed in. "I think we should try to bring Mom back."

Al gasped and made a move like he was actually going to throw Ed off the roof, but Ed caught his arm easily, and both brothers gave way to laughter.

"A personal slave? So Winry's already giving you the husband treatment?" Al teased.

Ed blushed and pushed Al away. "So, throwing wrenches at my head and nagging me constantly wasn't already husband treatment?" he asked, indignantly.

"No, that's just rookie boyfriend treatment," Al said, grinning. Ed grinned as well. He had missed these moments with his brother. What would it have been like to have had a simple life in the country? One without war, death, and agony?

"It's so vast," Al said, looking out at the countryside again.

"Yeah. So, you've been thinking?" Ed said. Al nodded. "I bet we're both thinking the same thing."

"I want to travel," Al began. "I want to learn alkehestry in Xing. And to be honest, I feel like a third wheel around here." Al's eyes lowered.

Ed looked surprised. He, Winry, and Al had always been together as friends. "What do you mean? Winry loves having us here. And it's not like we have a home of our own."

"I know." They'd been back in their hometown for two years. "But Ed," Al continued, "I've seen the looks you give Winry. And she looks at you the way she looks new automail. That's a compliment, by the way."

Ed stared at the ground. Was he that obvious? "But…" Ed began, in a somewhat strangled voice, "We're just...friends."

Al smiled at his brother. "You are friends. But you want to be so much more. And you both deserve happiness….together."

"What about you? Are you going to see Mei?" Ed smiled. Mei had developed a crush on his brother some time ago, and occasionally wrote to Al. But he hadn't written back. Or even called her.

"Well, maybe. She does know alkahestry, but I could train with other masters." Al hesitated.

'What's wrong, Al?"

"I'm a child trapped in the body of an adult, Ed, that's what's wrong." Al continued. "I spent my formative years as a disembodied soul in a suit of armor. It's not like I went through puberty the way you-and everyone else-did."

Ed looked at his Al, knowing full well that Al was right. Al had always had a way of getting along with people; he'd inherited their mother's kindness and empathy. They'd made many friends during their travels, but Ed was blissfully unaware of how Al really felt. Was it really that difficult readjusting to life as a human for Al?

"I know that Mei likes me, Ed," Al went on, as he slowly walked back towards the deck. Ed followed behind. "But I have no idea what to do about that. I've never kissed a girl." Ed smiled to himself. He hadn't kissed anyone, either. But he wasn't about to tell Al that.

"People used to be terrified of me. Now, they smile at me, and I just smile back. And I've always been known as the brother of the Fullmetal Alchemist. I just want to be accepted as Alphonse."

They clambered down onto the deck. Ed faced his brother. "You were never in my shadow, Al. You were-are-a good alchemist in your own right, you know."

"Thanks, brother." Al smiled. "ButI just recently had to re-learn how to eat, walk, and sleep. I don't think I'm husband material right now. Or even boyfriend material."

"Think Winry will miss us?"

"Of course. She'll be doing her own roof repairs for a while." Al and Ed both grinned at that statement. A female voice from inside the house announced that the apple pie was fresh out of the oven, and Ed and Al turned to go inside, grateful for the few moments they'd spent talking up on the roof.


End file.
